Shibuya's Snowy Delight
by Dramatic Fantasy
Summary: An Xmas fic. Joshyme and small-ish Neshiki. Shibuya hasn't seen snow like this in a while... Nor has the Composer had this much fun.
1. Chapter 1

Merry Christmas all from Singapore! That's right, Upon the Rocks, reporting from Singapore! *winks* Now then, away we go!

***

With each breath, the winter air created steam and stung one's nose, sometimes dotting it with the white flakes known as snow. Sounds around were muffled with only the harmony of crunching of feet, moving in rhythm, and the occasional giggling from friends and family playing around. The corners of one's lips were tingling from the ice cold temperature, your hands even colder with the tips becoming too numb for you to feel them.

The world is blanketed with snow, the sight relaxing for the eyes and the ears. With the roads almost identical to an ice rink, people were running across them, sliding or maybe even skating across the perfect frozen sheets of frost and water. Some others, their coordination or attitude slightly poor, walked from sidewalk to sidewalk, chatting with their friends and sipping a hot chocolate for the soul. The day was December 24, 2009.

Christmas eve.

As Rhyme skidded from place to place, she stumbled and laughed, the sound like a bell, her arms swinging around as she slipped and landed on her lower back, injured, but ignoring the pain as she laughed. She had on a large tan coat, reaching her waist from which a longer tan khaki pants swung low, gathering the dust and chips of ice. They were both old, but effective and helpful in the freezing, bitter, and seemingly unending cold. She pushed her black hat up and brushed a strand of hair from her eyes.

With each laugh, her jacket lifted and fell, the fabric very loose, as she liked her clothes.

"You ok Rhyme?" Shiki asked. Her glasses were still on, but she had a small Santa hat on her head, the cotton ball on the end of the hat flopping with each step. Her green shirt remained, her pants jeans with red and white socks underneath. Her cat was, as usual, gripped tight in her hands, as well as a small green jacket. Her face was an attempt to be making sure Rhyme was ok, but it quickly turned into a smile, laughter being as contagious as it is.

"Haha! Of course!" Rhyme laughed, her breaths coming out in short puffs. As her laughs slowed down, she let out a small sniff before standing and brushing herself off. As she glanced at her friends standing on the sidewalk, she waved and shouted for them. "C'mon guys! You gotta try this!"

Neku, the resident half-emo was standing and looking at the ice like it would kill him, which it might. He had covered his normal shirt with a blue hooded jacket, his hands in the pockets. His pants were khaki, dotted with white flakes from walking in the snow. His headphones were hanging around his neck while he turned to Rhyme with a small smile.

"I'd rather not," he remarked, sitting with one leg outstretched sideways onto the ice while the other was bent, sitting by his body with an arm perched on it. As he turned to the other boy beside him, he remarked on how warm the boy seemed, despite the walking through the frigid weather. Beat was standing with a little more than his normal clothing, the white undershirt slightly covered with a red jacket. The jacket was unzipped, letting in the extremely cold air, but Beat just stared on at his sister, smiling as he took a step forward towards the ice.

"Yeah, I think I will, yo," Beat answered, taking a small step on the ice and slipping already, his hands flailing as he slipped towards his sister. With a yelp, he slipped onto his back, his laughs able to be heard around him as his sister joined in. Neku laughed quietly on the sidewalk, his left hand pointed towards the boy who had just made a small fool of himself. Shiki was giggling to herself as she glanced at Neku. She walked/slid over to him and grabbed his hand.

"C'mon, get up here," Shiki gripped his hand, pulling the stammering boy up onto the ice and letting him slide off.

"Hey, wait, Shiki!" he shouted, slipping and falling onto his stomach. Rhyme, Beat, and Shiki all laughed at the boy on his stomach. He got on his hands and knees, looking up to a pile of snow. With a grin, he grabbed some and packed it close and stood up, slipping and sliding towards Shiki.

"Haha, Neku, careful! You might slip again," Shiki called, not noticing the snowball in the boy's hands as he got closer. With a whip of his hand, Neku threw the snowball and landed a hit on the girl's shirt, tipping the careful balance she had and causing her to fall on her butt. As she rubbed her painful backside, Neku laughed and pointed at the girl on the ground. Rhyme and Beat followed suit as Shiki picked up a pile of snow and threw it at Neku. As Neku brushed some of it off, he picked up another piece of snow and lobbed it at the girl, beginning their snow fight. They didn't bother to pack the snow together, just having fun and laughing in the frost. Rhyme turned to her laughing brother and picked up a pile of snow, packing it into a snowball before throwing it at her brother's head, making him shout and turn to his sister.

"Hey, Rhyme, yo that ain't cool," he argued as she threw another one. With a third coming his way, he stood up and picked up a large pile of snow, holding it in his arms as he ran towards his sister. Rhyme immediately noticed the danger and let out a small shriek, standing up and sliding away from her laughing brother who was now running while losing snow. With another yelp, Rhyme bumped into a boy a little taller than her. She stumbled back and looked up, the girl's face still happy and gleeful.

"Ah, hah, sorry," she said, looking up and meeting purple eyes. "Joshua?" The said Composer was standing and smiling with a light blue coat on, his right hand popping out of his pocket to wave, his jeans crunching in the snow as he moved.

"Hello Rhyme. Having fun?" Joshua glanced at Beat, who was now frozen in place. Neku and Shiki were still fighting with each other, a good layer of water on them as they threw frost after frost. Neku turned to where Rhyme was with a smile on his face before he scanned the area, coming to Joshua and frowning slightly. Shiki's eyes followed his and looked at the boy, her grin still slightly visible.

"Hello Joshua," Neku greeted as warm as he could, which still wasn't that warm. Joshua pouted slightly before putting back his smug grin and lifting his head slightly.

"Is that any way to treat your partner?" Joshua asked, smiling as the boy stared at him. "I'm just here to enjoy the scenery. Rhyme here bumped into me." Joshua put a hand on Rhyme's head, rubbing her head as he talked. Rhyme let out a small laugh before looking up at Joshua's face as he continued, "Oh, and after this, CAT wants you to spend Christmas Eve at WildKat." Neku nodded, but Shiki let out a small shriek.

"We're going to meet CAT!" she shouted, but Neku quickly shushed her and Joshua giggled, earning a frown from Neku.

"You've already met him, you just don't know it," Joshua said, adding to the conundrum and making Shiki tilt her head slightly.

"Is it Mr. H?" Rhyme suddenly questioned, earning a couple surprised looks. "I don't know, he just is out a lot and has a cafe named WildKat."

"Took Neku quite a while to figure that one out," Joshua mused, earning a glare from Neku. "Yes, Mr. H is CAT. Don't spread it; he wants it to stay secret."

"Will do!" Rhyme dragged her fingers across her lips as if zipping them up then crossed her fingers, giggling softly as she did her little promise. She smiled and turned, walking on the ice again. "C'mon guys, let's play some more!'Mirth is God's medicine!'" After some reluctant glances at Joshua, who waved slightly, Shiki walked over to Rhyme and held out her jacket and stuffed animal.

"Can you hold these?" Shiki asked politely, answered by a nod by Rhyme as she took it in her arms. Neku and Shiki restarted their snowball fight while Beat glared at Joshua for his act of messing with his sister. His mouth opened as a snowball crashed into him, made by Neku. As Beat turned, he grinned and picked up a snow ball and joined in their fight.

"Why don't you go join them?" Joshua asked politely as the blonde girl sat down. Rhyme looked up at Joshua and shrugged, stretching her jacket out as she answered.

"I don't know, you just seem so lonely over here.'It is strange to be known so universally and yet be so lonely,'" Rhyme mused, her eyes following her friends as they lobbed snowballs at each other, their laughter ringing in the air. Each shriek from Shiki and each yell from Neku and Beat earned a small giggle from Rhyme, her laugh ringing in Joshua's ears as he wrapped up closer to his coat to hide his smile.

"Albert Einstein," the boy murmured, recalling the famous scientist. It was true, he was known as God, yet he had very few friends. Neku wasn't counted; he was the Composer's proxy. Shiki wasn't known well, not counted again. Beat... Beat wanted to kill him for messing with his sister. Of course, he'd fail each time. Rhyme... Rhyme was the only true friend he had. Was she a friend? Or maybe something mo-

"Joshua!"

The boy looked at Rhyme as she lifted her head and looked up in the sky. Joshua looked up as well and a snowflake fell on his nose. He smiled and gazed up at the sky, watching each flake fall on his city, the white material sending gasps of surprise and happiness echoing through the streets. Joshua turned his head down to Rhyme and watched the blonde girl stick her tongue out and catch the snowflake. With a giggle, she stood up and twirled around, laughing quietly as she spun in the snow. Joshua looked at her and smiled, watching her laugh made him begin to giggle as well. Rhyme stopped spinning and sat down, giggling still while she held her head still.

"Whoo! Hah, that was fun!" Rhyme laughed and dusted some snow off her jacket, the flakes coming down as big as dimes now. Rhyme turned and looked at Neku and Shiki who were currently gazing up at the snow falling down at them. Beat was watching the flakes of frost as well, his arms out and his gaze upwards. Joshua turned and looked down on Rhyme, her eyes shimmering in the snow and her black hat becoming whiter with each passing second. Rhyme turned up to look at Joshua and their eyes met.

Joshua turned away, trying to hide his smirk in his hair as his heart raced. Rhyme blushed slightly as well, but turned away and looked at the sky again, her arms behind her as she spread her legs out. Joshua's eyes moved over and glanced at her fragile form, almost as fragile as the snow falling on him at the time. With a slender hand, he held his hand out and caught a snowflake. It didn't melt immediately due to his low body temperature, but he managed to touch it softly before it shattered and melted into water. He clenched his hand and looked at Rhyme. He reached over and brushed a strand past her ear, smiling as she tensed up. Joshua then noticed her breaths coming out slower than usual to attempt to calm down, visible in the ice cold atmosphere. With a tip forward, he slipped his lips over Rhyme's earlobe, nibbling on them slightly as Rhyme's breath came out in a rush.

"Ah...Joshua...C-can you-" Rhyme murmured into his ear as she moved her head towards him.

"Shh... I want to have some fun with you," Joshua cut in, moving closer to her as he slipped his lips to her cheek, kissing her softly as he flipped over, moving on the girl like a snake slithering up her body. With a slight breath over her cheeks, he leaned forward and inched closer to the small blonde's lips. Rhyme was actually willing him to come, the torture becoming unbearable.

Inches away, he pulled away, smiling for a second with his bangs flopping down and hiding his face from those around them.

"Not just yet," he whispered as he slightly leaped up to his feet. Joshua looked down at the girl and held a hand down. Rhyme blinked, her mouth open slightly as she looked at Joshua. He seemed like an angel, the snow falling down and covering him in an outline of white, his hair dotted with white snow that seemed to blend in with his silvery bangs. With a reluctant and warm hand, Rhyme reached up and grasped the Composer's hand. It felt cold against hers, but as she pulled herself up, he grasped her hand and put a small kiss on Rhyme's lips before letting her go. She fell forward into the snow and pulled herself out of the snow as Joshua began giggling, his eyes examining the small girl in front of him who was blushing slightly. She looked back at Joshua with a trace of anger on her face, but it quickly subsided into laughter and happiness.

"Joshua," Neku called, walking to the boy. His hands were in his pockets, his face stern. "What are you doing to Rhyme?"

"Nothing. Just playing around." Joshua smirked, looking at Neku with his hands in his pockets. He put his right hand on his chin, his mock surprise/thinking face on as he looked to Neku. "Why? Were you thinking we were doing something bad?"

"You killed me. Twice." Neku stared Joshua down, the Composer's smirk back.

"Well, I brought you and your friends back, I do hope you can trust me," Joshua said, his hand on his cheek as he giggled softly. Neku growled softly, looking at him carefully.

"You better not be planning something to do with Rhyme." Joshua smirked, seeming to wave the notion away.

"Why would I do something like that to dear Raimu?" Joshua responded, looking at the girl behind him.

"Because you're Joshua."

"Tsk tsk, what bad trust in a partner," Joshua scolded, giggling softly. Neku sighed quietly, staring at the boy carefully.

"Neku!" Shiki slipped/walked to the boy, putting a hand on his shoulder. She panted as Beat walked over as well. Beat let out a small glare while Shiki blinked to Joshua and turned away, looking at Neku again. "Let's get going to WildKat! We're soaked!" Her shirt was plastered to her body, earning a quick stare from Neku. Joshua cleared his voice, making Neku's sight snap up to the boy.

"WildKat?" Neku blinked, nodding and turning, walking with Shiki towards the road leading to the cafe. Joshua stayed back, walking with Rhyme carefully stepping behind.

"I haven't seen it snow for a while..." Rhyme licked a snowflake up, and then brushed snow off her hat, the piece of clothing weighing almost twice its original weight in snow. "What a rare sight!"

Joshua smirked, shrugging and looking to Rhyme with a bored expression. "I have to use my powers in some way." Anything to get a smile from you. He looked away, glancing at the sky. "Snow just came to my mind." Especially when I think of you. As he drew a strand of hair away from his face, he looked down to Rhyme, smiling as he watched the girl look at a pair of friends, throwing snowballs at each other. To tell the truth, he couldn't actually control weather, but with a few of his other skills, he could predict when the snow would fall, or how badly it would freeze.

"I'm happy you chose snow! It's always fun to have a calm day, snow having that effect. 'When snow falls nature listens!'" A single snowball flew at Rhyme, the original target dodging it easily. After a quick sorry, Rhyme waved back, smiling softly. She looked at her shoulder, dusting it off carefully.

Joshua leaned in, whispering softly, "Do you really think so?" His breath sent shivers down the girl's spine, gliding across her neck from the proximity. Rhyme stiffened, and began turning, but Joshua was already walking ahead. She began walking after him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Of course! Whenever it snows, it seems to quiet the world down, y'know, muffle everything away," Rhyme explained. Joshua giggled softly, looking away. "Something funny?"

"Nothing. Let's get going." Joshua looked away and began speed up, not running, but barely walking. Rhyme followed quickly, looking at the boy's ashen curls as if to find out what he was thinking.

Joshua looked back, recalling the Composer clairvoyance skill he had been using in the morning. He smirked, recalling the next scene that would occur. He stretched his arms then watched the group almost disappear in the picking up snow.

All according to God's vision.

***

Part two ish next! Now get goin' ya radians!


	2. Chapter 2

Evenin all! Part two is here!

***

WildKat is the cafe on Cat Street, the home of the famous artist CAT, Producer of Shibuya. The inside has the smell of coffee beans, the aroma drifting out and inviting all who walk by whenever it's open. The place is quiet with a little music, mainly piano and blues. The furniture is simple, but extremely inviting with a sort of warm aura around it. With the cold atmosphere outside, the temperature inside had been increased slightly to accommodate the incoming guests.

As the group consisting of Neku, Rhyme, Beat, Shiki, and Joshua walked into WildKat, the change in temperature made everyone shiver. The mortals let out a nice sigh as they began to feel the heat already begin to melt the frost on their clothes, while Joshua merely smirked at the warmth. They immediately took their seats on the chairs, looking at the counter.

"Heya boss!" Mr. H grinned, waving as he leaned back on the tabletop. He had his usual clothes on, his white shirt still rolled up and covered with the black vest. He had a hand on his chin as he counted up the guests, and then looked at his watch. His black pants drew close to the ground, covering partially his sandals, which seemed completely out of place, but with his powers, anything was possible. "I was wonderin' if you would like to spend the rest of the day here! After all, we have finished remodeling!"

The cafe didn't look any different. It seemed a little cleaner, based on the furniture, but nothing big. However, what drew the group's attention was three large trees, each undecorated and smaller than the next. Four boxes of decorations rested on the group beside them, the light catching some of it and bouncing off. Mr. H followed the group's stare, letting out a small "ah" as he noticed the trees.

"Yeah, I was going to decorate one, but with it being Christmas Eve, I was hoping you could decorate them with me," CAT explained, "I'm sure you'll do a good job!"

"Ooh! Neku, how about you and I decorate one?" Shiki jumped up and looked at him, beaming widely. Neku couldn't exactly say no so....

"Yeah, sure, let's do it!"

"Beat, let's take a tree!" Rhyme jumped up and walked to her brother, smiling as Beat's face drew the same expression, looking to Mr. H.

"That sounds dope yo!"

Mr. H grinned and clapped his hands together. "Then let's get started!" He stood and walked to a tree, picking up the box and sliding it away, moving it to a corner of the room. Neku and Shiki struggled with the next, moving it in a corner nearest to the windows. Rhyme merely moved their tree back a little, fitting right between the counter and a couch. She looked at the box, pulling out a small string of lights, weaving it around and into the tree delicately. Beat picked up a few glass ornaments, slipping one on the tree, while the other was placed on one of the higher branches.

"Howzzat Rhyme?" Beat asked, his hands on his hips as he looked at the tree. Rhyme smiled, but felt slightly suspicious, with the small branch, the ornament shouldn't stay. Too late to react. The one on the top of the tree slipped from the small post, flying down and aiming towards the ground.

And it disappeared.

Joshua walked in, smirking as he twirled the ornament on his finger. He put it back in the box while speaking, "Careful with these. They aren't for kids." He smirked to Beat, who had remained unawares of the insult. Rhyme adjusted the other glass ornament, shooting a small glance to the Composer over her shoulder. She pulled out another ornament, hanging it carefully. Her work continued as Joshua walked to the counter, grabbing a candy cane from a bowl on the table and popping it in his mouth. Neku and Shiki had already gone far, the tree carefully balanced with a number of ornaments. Mr. H had begun putting small ornaments on the tree, a sort of random, yet peaceful and attractive style. Of course, he couldn't exactly put graffiti on; it would give too much suspicion on his being CAT.

Joshua smiled, nibbling on the candy cane. He looked at the girl in front of him and the tree she was decorating. Beat had wandered off, his skill at putting ornaments on trees being a little less than par, but he managed to keep an eye on Joshua at all times. The brother had grabbed a pair of gingerbread cookies, biting into one and bringing the other to Rhyme. Joshua watched her take another bite of her gingerbread cookie, chewing it softly and saying small thanks to her sibling. She brushed off the crumbs as she glanced at the Composer, feeling his stare as she swallowed. "Something wrong?" She turned to the tree as she slipped a glass ornament onto the tree, carefully balancing it on the center of the branch before turning back.

"Well, you do appear to enjoy decorating the tree," Joshua said. "You do a good job, at that." He looked at the tree, the lights swirling around the tree with a peaceful pattern. The tree was adorned with decorations ranging from gingerbread men, to glass mimics of gingerbread houses, to the average red and green orbs of Christmas. He took a small bite of the peppermint cane, watching her smile and turn to the tree. She stood, dusting a few stray pine needles from her shirt, and watched the lights flicker, red, blue, and green, peacefully dancing across the tree in mesmerizing patterns.

"Thanks! I don't normally get the chance to decorate these trees, we don't get this many ornaments to choose from," Rhyme joyfully stepped away and sat on one of the chairs, examining her work. "Normally, we just have a tree and put presents under it. We don't usually get ornaments."

"Hm." Joshua turned back to the tree, a rather uncaring look dominating his face. He bit a small bit of the candy cane and sucked on it, the peppermint seeming to clear up the back of his throat. He looked at the girl, watching her pop one of the gumdrops into her mouth and chewing as she turned to look at the others. Mr. H's had a set of angels with wings spread wide, some of the feathers with a rainbow-like shine. Neku and Shiki had normal ornaments, but a few sets of ornaments had come from places like D+B and J of the M, including a small pink and black buffalo and a blue and yellow Jupiter. Rhyme's looked plain, yet calming in itself.

Mr. H walked by, looking at Joshua and Rhyme before pointing to Beat and smiling. "Beat, I have a job for you. C'mere." He got the boy to follow to the back-room, coming out with a set of boxes, bringing them behind the counter. While they did that, Hanekoma snuck a wink at Joshua, leaving before the Composer could say anything.

"What's your favorite part about Christmas?" Rhyme asked, looking at the boy as he turned back. Joshua paused in surprise before smirking and sitting back.

"Well, I've had many Christmas's. The holiday has just become a sort of... boring tradition." Joshua bit into the candy cane, making a loud crack, but then continued to talk. "I suppose the first time I had Christmas, I would have had a favorite part, but not now. I've experienced it too many times." He turned to the girl, smirking as he asked, "What about you?"

"I like..." Rhyme stopped, looking outside, then to the others. "The idea of giving to friends and family."

"Oh really? Why so?" Joshua leaned back in his chair, looking at the girl with a very curious expression. "I would think you would like the treats one gets during Christmas, the festivities." He smirked and looked to the tree. "Or maybe the decorations."

"I like decorating and the festivities, but it's only for a little. Treats are nice too, but I think the best treat one can give is a gift, it lasts forever!" Rhyme giggled, recalling a quote. "'The love we give away is-'"

"'The only love we keep,'" Joshua finished, "Elbert Hubbard, a famous American writer."

"Yup~! His quotes are always nice," Rhyme said, turning to the boy beside her. "So you haven't had an exciting Christmas before?"

"Oh, I have. I've just forgotten it in the length of time I've spent on this world," Joshua popped the last bit of the candy cane in his mouth, "Maybe this year will be different."

"Alright, thanks Beat," Mr. H called, waving as the boy walked out. Daisukenojo collapsed on a chair, panting slightly.

"What was up with that yo? It's like he wanted me ta take a while, those things weighed a frickin ton!" Beat leaned forward, looking at the tree and grinning. "This'll be awesome yo! You did a crazy job sis!"

"Haha, thanks Beat," Raimu said, standing and wandering to sit beside him. "Hey, Josh-" As she turned back, she stared at the chair where the boy had been, and was now gone from. A quick glance around located him, outside in one of the chairs under an umbrella. He was staring at the sky, not grey with clouds, but white with the number of snowflakes falling. The umbrella shielded him from the flakes, creating a sort of safe circle around him. Rhyme looked at him before turning back to Mr. H, who had pulled out four presents, each one with a tag and a bag to carry home.

"Hey! Boys and girls, thanks for helping, and I now have a few gifts for you! No opening them until tomorrow though," he warned, smiling as he put each one on a table. Beat sprung up, as well as Neku and Shiki, grabbing one each. Beat came back with two, one with his name and another with Rhyme's.

"This is yours yo," Beat said, handing his sister the bag with her name on it. Rhyme nodded a small thanks, looking outside again. She stood, stepping to the door with the bag in hand. "Hey, where you goin' yo?"

"I just want to see Joshua! You can see through the window," the girl called, pointing to the pane of glass. After reluctantly sitting back in his seat, Beat watched the girl stroll outside, sitting behind the Composer.

"Hey Joshua," she murmured, looking at the god.

"Hello. Sanae give you your gift yet?" Joshua glanced down and back at the bag in her hand, smirking as he turned away towards the buildings to his side. "I see he has."

"He says we can't open it until tomorrow," Raimu giggled, picking the box up and shaking it slightly. The box was about as big as a shoe box, wrapped in normal red and green Christmas wrapping paper. A small rattling noise came out, but nothing identifying the item. "Wonder what it is..."

"You'll have to find out tomorrow. He was sticking around 104 for a while, came out with a bunch of bags. All he said was it was for the guests," Yoshiya said. "Does your brother approve of coming out with me?"

"I'm... not sure. I hope he doesn't get mad at me," she mumbled, watching Beat glance at Shiki, who had budged closer to Neku. The former-emo didn't seem to notice, looking up at the tree CAT had decorated. "Do you think Neku likes Shiki?"

"That's the reason she was his Entry Fee," Joshua groaned, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Whether or not the girl will act is what matters." He smirked, looking up at Rhyme for her response.

"I think she will. She really likes Neku," Rhyme murmured, watching Shiki as the brunette laughed with Neku, attracting Beat's sight from Joshua.

Joshua looked at Rhyme, the girl's face smooth and happy as she continued to watch the scene unfold. As he turned back to observe the fun, Shiki and Neku turned to each other, each starting to ask the other a question. When they noticed the distance between them, which was about two centimeters, they paused, faces heating up slightly. Shiki went first, leaning forward and kissing the orange haired boy, clutching Mr. Mew close. Neku paused in surprise before closing his eyes and leaning into the kiss, the brunette drawing a hand up to put around her friend's head. Rhyme giggled, attracting Joshua's gaze again.

"See?" Rhyme turned to Joshua, smiling as she looked him in the eyes. Before Joshua could answer, Beat shouted, making Rhyme jerk back in surprise, wondering what had made him mad. However, as she looked, her brother had noticed the kissing pair, shouting in surprise and breaking the two up. Shiki blushed slightly as Neku did the same, turning away as Beat looked at Mr. H, who had walked in, smirking as he held his hands in his pockets. He walked to the door, leaning against it as he watched the pair look away, then he gazed back at the trees. His right hand was invisible as he moved into the corner of the door. As he strolled away, his grin was wider, knowing and predicting. Beat stood, walking back with Mr. H, who directed him to do some more "heavy lifting."

"Shall we head in?" Joshua stood, eying Sanae carefully. _He did something. Might as well head in before whatever takes effect. _

"Yeah, I'm starting to get cold," Rhyme said, a chill running through her spine from a sudden breeze. She opened the door and walked in when Mr. H whistled.

"Look up," he called, smiling as he pointed. Joshua followed, wondering what his Producer had said. As the two of them looked up, Joshua sighed while Rhyme paused in surprise.

Mistletoe.

"Sanae..." Joshua started walking, glancing at Beat, who had gone in the back again. CAT held a hand up, pointing to the mistletoe.

"Follow the tradition. Then you can have your ways," he said, pointing to Rhyme, who had remained underneath, scratching her head as she looked down to the ground with the lightest shade of pink on her cheeks. Joshua looked at Mr. H, who had snapped his fingers, creating a wall that the boy could break, but Sanae would just make another, annoying him to no end. "The conditions: Follow the tradition." He repeated it, making Joshua all the more mad.

"Joshua, let's just do it," Rhyme mumbled. "It's just a kiss."

"She's right," the Producer called, still smiling. Joshua glanced at Rhyme before turning back to Sanae, glaring at him as he walked back.

"I suppose," the Composer murmured, looking down to Rhyme. "Just a kiss." His hands rose up to settle on his cheeks as their lips met.

One simple touch, soft and calm under the mistletoe. They didn't notice the wall go down as they pulled back, then pushed further, meeting the other's lips with a stronger passion. Joshua opened his mouth, his hands moving back and twirling with a strand of Rhyme's hair. She stood on the tips of her toes, rising up to push further into the boy's mouth. She twirled in his hair, drawing him farther into ecstasy.

They broke off, recalling the situation. Joshua looked into Rhyme's eyes, pure rapture and delight swimming in the blue orbs. He turned to the Producer, who was beaming.

"I think it's time for you to head back. The snow's letting up." Joshua whispered in Rhyme's ear, drawing a hand into his pocket and slipping a box into Rhyme's bag before walking his colleague and leaning against the counter. Neither said a word as Rhyme adjusted her hat, walking over to Neku and Shiki, who had been chatting all throughout. She looked up to Beat, who had just come out from his work.

"Beat, let's head back," Rhyme called, putting a few stray strands of hair under her hat. She looked at the window,

"'K, let's go!" He began walking to the door, glancing up at the mistletoe for a second before glaring at Joshua and heading out. Rhyme smiled lightly to her love and walked out as well, catching up to her brother. The snow had stopped falling, the normally white background, now a light red from the sunset. Neku and Shiki cleared out as well, but not before a quick squeal and thanks from Shiki to CAT.

After a few minutes of cleaning up, Mr. H looked up at Joshua, smirking as he stood up from picking up small pine needles. "I hope I made your Christmas memorable."

Joshua smirked, standing up from behind the counter. "That you did."

"What about the punishment you were going to deal? Did that little smooch change your mind?" Sanae grinned, watching as Joshua reached into his pocket. He held up a set of items, making Sanae pale slightly.

His spray paints.

"You are evil."

"I know, I know."

[{(|)}] [{(|)}]

Rhyme closed the door, looking at the boxes. She got cleaned up, heading to bed as she threw the boxes on the covers.

The next day, she opened them bright in the morning. Mr. H's gift contained sets of books that she had been wanting, both literature and fantasy. She put the bag on the ground, but paused at the sound of bells. She looked down and slipped a hand into the deflated sack, pulling out a small brown box with red ribbon attached. A small piece of paper was tied down, pulled out by Rhyme and unfolded, the girl reading the words out loud.

"'To one who helped save Shibuya'..." Rhyme untied the ribbon and took the lid off, pulling out the contents.

Inside was a small charm, a squirrel balancing on a bell with a string of ribbons- no, feathers, twirling around it as a pair of wings enclosed it. However, it wasn't a normal squirrel.

It was her squirrel Noise.

Rhyme smiled as she held it up, the squirrel's Noise marks lined with small lines of ruby. The eyes were deep sapphires, as blue as the ocean and so similar that Rhyme put a hand on her cheek, right under her pupils. There were small flakes of diamonds on the wings, creating a sort of rainbow like reflection as light bounced off. The bell looked to be made of gold.

Raimu Bito twisted it in her hand, the charm bigger than her palm. The box fell to its side as her elbow collided with the container. Out rolled a small bag, the size perfect for the charm. She picked it up, glancing again at the charm before slipping it in the bag and then slipping the bag in her pocket. She looked back before smiling at the books and beginning to read.

[{(|)}]

Meanwhile, Joshua held up his phone. He looked at the empty doorway under which there was mistletoe, the same he had kissed Rhyme under. He tapped a button, making a clicking noise as a photo appeared on the device.

Rhyme and him kissing passionately under the night's sky.

"Just a kiss."

***

Wah. Alright, happy now? Credit to Angel/Inspiration of Imagination for betaing! Love ya! Now then... review!


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